Eden Chronicles Box Set Books 1-3

by James Erith

  ‘And she must have bounded up the two hundred and twenty-two stairs to escape the collapsing cave like some kind of super-leopard,’ Daisy said.

  ‘Did you notice another thing?’ Archie said, as he rubbed his chin. ‘She hates it up here. She was shaking like a jelly.’

  ‘Yup. I noticed that too. Sweating too, and as white as a sheet.’

  Archie peered into the gloom. ‘Daisy, I think we owe it to Old Man Wood to find the other animals. What do you think?’

  ‘We can try.’

  ‘Cool. Let’s check if there’s anyone or anything about who shouldn’t be.’

  Daisy moved her head from side to side as though examining the area. ‘Something’s hanging about. I can’t tell what it is though. Sounds a bit like a ... do you think it might be a bloke stealing them? Making creepy noises to scare us off?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ he said quietly. ‘But it isn’t right. I think we should find out.’

  ‘What if it’s a lunatic, with a gun?’

  Archie frowned. ‘Then we should find out.’

  ‘Can’t we wait till morning?’

  ‘We won’t have time. Come on.’

  Daisy eyed him curiously. ‘Very well, brave brother –ye with the spiky hair. Lead on.’

  Archie smiled. ‘Do you want to go first?’

  ‘Oh, get a move on,’ she said, taking the lead and marching back the way they’d come. ‘Let’s see what’s lurking yonder, huh?’

  In silence, the only noise being the squelching and squishing of their boots in the mud, they doubled back to their original position and then headed further in towards the fallen-down castle keep, strewn with boulders.

  ‘To be honest with you, Archie,’ Daisy said as she went, ‘there was something moving about after we’d counted the animals. But the thing is, it wasn’t a sound I’ve ever heard before.’

  Daisy picked her way through the old walls and slabs of stone of the ruin with ease, despite the thick cloud that obscured the moonbeams. The harder she concentrated the easier it became.

  Soon she was manoeuvring as if it were light, skipping over rocks and jumping across gullies as though it were daytime, her senses on high alert.

  Carefully, she crept up to a shaft of rock and leaned into it remaining quite still, listening. There – again, the exact same noise as before; a curious mix of heavy, syrupy breathing, like large, wheezy bellows. ‘You must be able to hear it now?’ she whispered.

  There was no response.

  ‘Winkle?’ she whispered into the cold night air. She turned. ‘Archie! Where are you?’

  It hadn’t even registered that Archie wasn’t right behind her. She retraced her steps, weaving back through the low ruins, her eyes following her footprints.

  Without warning, her legs disappeared from under her and a heavy, hard object struck her sharply on the back of her head. Disorientated she fell forward, her arms pulled hard behind her back. She tried to wriggle free.

  ‘REVEAL YOURSELF,’ said a familiar voice.

  ‘Let go of me!’

  ‘Who are you?!’ he hissed.

  Daisy couldn’t believe it. ‘Your sister, you bloody numpty!’

  ‘Whoever you are, YOU are not my sister.’

  ‘Unfortunately, I am, Archie, you stupid, spiky, knob-end.’

  There was a pause while Archie, baffled by the response, wondered what to do next.

  ‘OK! What’s my nickname?’

  ‘Winkle. I alone call you Winkle. I don’t know why, but it just suited you when you were little and it stuck because it really, really irritated the hell out of you.’

  Archie loosened his grip. “Winkle” was her private name for him. Slowly he turned her round to face him, not loosening his grip on her too much.

  ‘What the hell was that all about—?’

  ‘Your ... your eyes, Daise!’ he said, ‘what’s happened to your eyes? Are you ... alright?’

  Daisy pushed him away. ‘What are you talking about, there’s nothing wrong with my eyes,’ she said crossly, ‘apart from being red, like traffic lights on stop.’

  She rubbed her skull, more concerned with the blow to the back of her head. ‘That really hurt, Archie – what’s up with you?’

  ‘No seriously, Daisy. You’re lucky I didn’t smack you harder. Look, are you sure you’re alright? I mean ... look, I don’t know how to tell you this but they’re glowing, like dishes. It’s like you’re an alien! Your eyes are burning like torches. I thought YOU were the monster.’

  A chilly wind blew over them. They shivered.

  ‘I’m really sorry, Daisy. I didn’t realise—’

  Daisy hoped Archie couldn’t see her tears. ‘I don’t know what’s happening to me, Arch,’ she whispered. ‘I’ve got these weirdo eyes which kind of go into overdrive when I concentrate. You won’t believe what I can see – things in incredible detail – like individual particles in the storm glass – or objects miles away, or seeing stuff in the dark. And every time I use them, it gets stronger and I discover more. It’s like a game, going up levels all the time.’

  She wiped her cheek and continued. ‘Remember when we came up here and looked out over the flooding? I got a bit caught up wondering if I could actually see people sitting on their rooftops waiting for help. Well, I could! I really could see water flowing through the streets. And running up here tonight – it was as clear as it would be on a sunny day, apart from ... well, it wasn’t, was it?’

  Archie couldn’t think of anything to say.

  ‘Archie, it’s not the only thing; I can hear amazing stuff, too. When the rain stopped at home, all you lot could hear was the sudden quiet but I heard drips of water splashing directly under the house.’

  ‘So, what do you think it is?’

  Daisy rubbed her eyes. ‘If I’m right, I think it’s got something to do with the water in the third poem. The “clear” and “pure” bit.’

  Archie repeated as much as he could remember.

  ‘The third you search is under your nose.

  ‘It’s clear, pure and warm (I think).

  ‘In order to … something or other

  ‘You need to send ... hmm, can’t quite remember.’

  ‘At first I thought it was to do with bogeys – you know, being underneath your nose. You think there’s a stream under the house?’

  Archie looked at her with renewed wonder and, instinctively, even though Daisy’s eyes were still glowing, but not as brightly, he moved in and hugged her.

  ‘Does it hurt?’ he asked, his voice hushed.

  ‘What? My head?’

  ‘No, you daft cow. Your eyes.’

  Daisy shook her head. ‘No. Just a bit tingly, that’s all.’

  They both sat quietly. ‘Can I ask,’ Archie said cautiously, ‘what was it really like in this atrium place you went to? Did you use your mega-eyes in there? Did you hear anything else apart from a great blood-curdling scream? And did you really get out just by looking at a door—?’

  ‘Simmer down, Winkle,’ she whispered. ‘The atrium was terrifying ... it’s hard to remember anything in detail. I was lucky—’

  Suddenly, a snorting sound, like a wave blasting through a blow-hole, burst out from the other side of the rock.

  Archie crouched down.

  Now hooves clattered on the flattened rocks nearby and pounded the wet ground. Cattle and sheep ran quickly. Then a crisp, almost dog-like bark, cracked the air, slicing through the silence followed by a low, hissing sound.

  ‘What the—’

  Daisy pushed a finger over his lips. She could hear his heart thumping.

  ‘What is it?’ Archie whispered, as they slipped down the cold slab of rock.

  ‘Sshh. Let me listen.’

  Shortly, another strange bark was followed by a hiss, this time much closer.

  ‘It isn’t a fox, or any kind of dog,’ Daisy said, under her breath, her brow furrowed in concentration. ‘It definitely isn’t a bird call, or a ferret and it’s not a
cow, or a goat, or anything from the deer family. I don’t think it’s a cat – you know, like a lion or leopard or panther. It’s certainly not a chicken, or a sheep, or any of the rodent family. It’s not a hyena because they laugh ... and I doubt it’s a crocodile, because I’ve never heard one, and they go “snap”, but it could be a bison or rhino from Africa, so —’

  ‘Daisy!’ Archie hissed, ‘stop! You don’t have to go through the entire animal kingdom.’

  ‘Oh. Sorry,’ she said.

  ‘So, what is it?’

  ‘I don’t know! But it’s definitely not an elephant or a bear or a llama ...’

  Archie glared at her.

  For a few moments they sat stone-still behind the large, weathered slab of rock. Smeared across the dark sky ran the wavy form of a rain cloud.

  ‘What are we going to do?’ Daisy whispered, trying not to appear too cowardly. ‘We can’t stay here shivering all night only to get eaten.’

  Archie nodded. ‘Any ideas?’

  ‘How should I know? What do you think we should do?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Well, it was your idea!’

  ‘Sshhhhh,’ Archie squealed, ‘it’s really close!’

  The slither of something snake-like moved just out of eye-shot. The twins hugged the rock. Then it grunted loudly, and barked.

  Daisy squirmed and her ears filled with pain. Tears flowed down her cheeks. She smothered her ears.

  ‘Daisy!’ Archie said. ‘What is it?’

  ‘A noise! Incredibly high-pitched. It’s killing me.’

  For some strange reason he couldn’t quite understand, Archie stood up, ricked his neck from side to side and jumped out onto the grass to the side of the rock ready to face whatever it was head on.

  ‘... NO!’ Daisy cried.

  But almost immediately the farm bell rang, its toll echoing eerily up the hillside.

  In a flash and a slither, whatever had been there, vanished.

  Daisy shook her head and stepped out to join Archie. The painful shrilling noise had evaporated, like the strange beast.

  Holding their breath, the twins moved around to the other side of the rock. Nothing. Just the same, curious, track-marks.

  They listened and waited, exchanging looks, wondering if it was safe to run for their lives. With Daisy’s eyes on full beam, they simultaneously sprang off and sprinted through the mud and over branches and rocks towards the track.

  As they stopped to catch their breath by the old rutted path, a voice came out of the dark below.

  Instinctively they crouched down.

  ‘Yoo-hoo!’

  ‘Who ... who’s there?’ Daisy called out.

  ‘Only me!’

  Archie and Daisy exhaled audibly and smiled.

  ‘What are you doing up here, Mrs P, scaring us to death?’

  ‘Well, little ones, I came to find you. And I thought I might see a helidoctor, rescuing all them poor folk and that. But I might ask you the same; what you doing, you two, out here in the dark at this time?’

  Archie caught Daisy’s now back-to-normal eyes. ‘We were looking for, er, for ... for Blabisterberry Jelly,’ he said, at which they both burst out laughing.

  ‘For, eh ... what?!’ Mrs. Pye shrieked, her voice sounding a little more shrill than normal. ‘Jelly? At this time of night?’

  ‘No, Mrs P – it’s a kind of joke,’ Archie said. ‘It’s something we’ve got to find – apparently. But don’t worry – it’s not important right now.

  ‘Did you find any “helidoctors”?’ Daisy asked.

  ‘I didn’t, no. Got a little waylaid I’m afraid to say. But I heard one right bang overhead while I was lying in me bath. Stayed there some time, too, till me water went all chilly and I ended up with granny-fingers.’

  For the rest of the walk they moved in silence, their boots squelching in the mud. When they arrived near the cottage, Mrs. Pye coughed, very lightly, but just enough to send a shiver down their spines.

  Mrs. Pye, aware that she was being looked at, started coughing more until Archie felt compelled to give her a pat on her back.

  Could Mrs. Pye’s cough be linked with the bark they’d heard at the ruin? No, not Mrs. Pye.

  Perhaps all the strange events of the past day had simply stretched his mind so that now he was over-alert to every squeak, splutter and cough.

  EIGHTY-SIX

  CAIN AND KEMP

  For Kemp, the euphoria of being alive, and not in hospital, remained. No interrogations by that dreadful man, Stone; no being stuffed full of tubes and wires; no nurses covered in protective clothing padding and prodding him and filling him with disgusting medicines or sharp needles. No worries about anything.

  Much to his astonishment, Cain had delivered on all his promises – food coming out of his ears, a palace to run about in, servants at his disposal, and jewels and treasure everywhere. The place was smothered in riches and Kemp was dazzled by it all.

  Cain’s demands on him were minimal. Schmerger, the strange, bearded, unsmiling servant, had given him a salve for his burns which healed in record time and Kemp soon felt better than he had for an awfully long time.

  For the moment at least, Cain’s mood bordered on delirious. He sang and laughed and showed Kemp around the palace, telling stories – all of which sounded ludicrous – and repeatedly told Kemp that it was all his. Not only that, but it was his to do with as he wished.

  His to enjoy, his to destroy – if he so wished.

  Overshadowing this, Kemp wondered whether Cain would deliver his mother as he had sworn he would.

  Festering at the back of his mind, he wondered if Cain had fabricated the truth about his mother. After all, evidence suggested that she had died a long time ago.

  It didn’t help that he didn’t entirely trust Cain. Cain was dangerous, he sensed, and Kemp couldn’t help asking himself why Cain wanted him so badly? What, exactly, was the ghost’s grand plan? he thought.

  Cain hadn’t avoided the subject, since Kemp hadn’t asked, but Cain’s demeanour compelled him to require some answers.

  That time came at supper.

  Kemp grabbed a spoon and helped himself to a bowl of beef stew. He couldn’t remember eating anything quite so tasty in years. Cain’s overcoat floated across and parked up next to him.

  ‘Why?’ Kemp asked.

  ‘Why, what, boy?’

  ‘Why do you need me?’ Kemp asked bluntly. ‘What’s this Prophecy of Eden thing-a-me-jig you told me and Arch about? What’s it got to do with you?’

  ‘I wondered when you’d ask,’ the gap between Cain’s hat and collar said. ‘The universe is exceedingly old, boy. Every now and then there’s a shift, a repositioning in how it aligns itself.’ He appeared to sniff the air. ‘It is doing so right at this precise moment and, your friends the de Lowes, by way of a long, ancient and rather tedious selection process, have received dreams in which they have been given instructions on how to open the Garden of Eden. If you must, it is the ultimate test for your entire species. If they fail, then mankind will be seen to have failed and life on Earth will be erased. Earth will begin afresh, with different, new beings.’

  Kemp looked incredulous. ‘So, Archie has to save the world. Ha-ha, that is bloody hilarious.’

  He grabbed a chicken leg and licked it before biting deep into the flesh. ‘Fat chance he’s got. In any case,’ he said with his mouth full again, ‘it doesn’t make sense. Humans are doing alright, aren’t they? We’re civilised an’ all that – we’ve got TV and the INTERNET, satellites, fast-food, nuclear stuff and massive football stadiums. What’s not to have?’

  The ghost sighed. ‘Running a planet is far more than those things, my dear fellow. I know it’ll be difficult, but you’re going to have to stop thinking like a ridiculous Earth human. There’s really no use for it here. You see, the energy of the universe is made by zillions of things and, when something happens in one area of the universe, it almost certainly has a knock-on effect elsewher
e. Humans were given a time in charge but, in all honesty, they haven’t really cared for the others particularly well, have they? I’ve heard that it’s gone a little lop-sided.’

  ‘Others? Lop-sided? What others?’

  Cain coughed gently. ‘The other animals, plants, soils and living things that they were meant to care for. All organisms have a purpose and neglecting one puts tremendous pressure on the others. The knock-on effect, if you will.’

  Kemp sneered, but nodded almost knowingly.

  Cain interpreted this as a green light to continue. ‘If your friends succeed then there is hope for the planet that the present incumbents might turn it around, though it is highly unlikely. If not, then new inhabitants will be made in the Garden of Eden and filtered in to what will essentially be a brand new Earth. With any luck, we should be able to control that filter.’

  Kemp crammed a parcel of cheese wrapped in bacon into his mouth and chewed it thoughtfully. ‘So what you’re saying is that humans have massively screwed it up, right?’

  ‘The long and the short of it is this: if mankind hasn’t evolved and matured enough to survive a few simple tasks, then it simply doesn’t deserve stewardship of the blue planet – Earth. Your type of mankind will come to an end. Another will begin. It’s happened before and it will happen again.’

  ‘Blimey. And everything you’ve just said,’ Kemp said in between wiping his mouth on his sleeve, ‘was given in dreams to those de Lowes.’

  ‘Indeed. This shift in the universe sparked a series of dreams sent out by the dreamspinners. That’s the name for the ugly spidery things we travel through.’

  ‘I wondered how they fitted in.’

  ‘They are the most ancient of all creatures that belong to the universe – if they are creatures.’

  ‘Those things with the electricity-filled abdomens belong to the universe?’

  ‘Absolutely.’

  Kemp cupped the back of his head in his hands and leaned back. ‘You know what, Cain, I think that is the biggest loads of bollocks I’ve ever heard.’